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Being the first monitor we have seen to utilise LG's new 4th Gen Tandem OLED panel, it's hard not to be impressed by the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQWMG.
Simply put, this panel offers a wide range of improvements which, in my view, elevate it above the competition. Brightness is noticeably higher, for instance, hitting almost 325 nits for a full-screen white, while in HDR we saw highlights of almost 1600 nits! The gamut is exceedingly wide, too, offering much higher coverage than previous WOLED panels, while it's also claimed to offer significantly enhanced lifespan thanks to the extra layer.
Then we have ASUS' own TrueBlack Glossy coating which adds another dimension. I've not been able to test it against previous 3rd Gen WOLED glossy panels, but compared to QD-OLED – which is even more prevalent in the 1440p sector – the difference is quite remarkable. It's really as the name suggests – you get true blacks, regardless of the ambient lighting conditions, whereas QD-OLEDs present raised black levels in brighter environments. In dimly-lit rooms the difference is barely noticeable, so it does depend on your specific viewing conditions, but it's clearly a better all-round option than QD-OLED in my eyes.
ASUS has done a stellar job with factory calibration, too, with very accurate colour balance and gamma tracking, while the built-in sRGB Cal mode is one of the best sRGB modes I have ever tested. It's so good I wouldn't even bother calibrating the screen, so hats off to ASUS for that.
On top of that, the overall gaming experience is fantastic. A 280Hz 1440p panel may not be market leading in terms of motion clarity or outright responsiveness, but it's still very good overall, much better than what a 280Hz LCD could achieve, and you still get all the punch and vibrance of an OLED panel regardless of the refresh rate.
My only real criticisms are the lack of some more advanced connectivity features we have become accustomed to in recent years – things like USB-C and KVM functionality, which are sadly missing here. However, that is very easy to ignore when factoring in the price of just £520 for the XG27AQWMG. Yes, some 1440p 240Hz QD-OLEDs can be found for less – there's a few in the £400-450 range now – but I'd say this ASUS monitor is clearly superior across the board. For a screen with the 4th Gen panel and TrueBlack coating, I was expecting to pay more like £600, so I actually think it's very good value indeed.
In short, this is the OLED to beat in the sub-£550 segment, and I can’t wait to see more monitors utilising LG’s 4th Gen panel.
Pros
- Very wide gamut, much wider than previous WOLEDs.
- Effectively infinite contrast ratio.
- Very fast response times.
- 1440p at 280Hz is not impossible to drive in a lot of titles.
- Games just look so good.
- Factory calibration is stellar, up there with the best I've seen.
- Much brighter than most other OLEDs thanks to the 4th Gen panel.
- HDR hits almost 1600 nits and is very accurate for both HDR Gaming and True Black 500 modes.
- Superb sRGB emulation mode.
- TrueBlack Glossy coating makes a noticeable difference versus QD-OLED.
- 2x HDMI 2.1.
- User-upgradable firmware.
- Great value at £520.
Cons
- Lacks USB-C and KVM support.
- Only DisplayPort 1.4, though that can still deliver everything you need thanks to DSC.
KitGuru says: Its performance is terrific across the board and, compared to other options in this market segment, it's priced surprisingly competitively. A real gem of a gaming monitor.
